Mat



Aug. 26, 1941.. H. R. 'HUSSON MAT Filed July 13, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 34 3) 2,8 3o' ze HRRY P. RUSSO/V patented Ang. 26, 194m MAT Harry R. Russen, Akron, Ohio, assigner to Wingv foot Corporation, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application July 13, 1938, Serial No. v218,961 v rz claims. (c1. .2o-7s) The present invention relates to floor mats, particularly the type which employs articulated links having a solid border strip running around the same.

In mats of this character the art teaches 'various ways to attach a suitable nosing thereto, to produce an' 'attractive-looking mat where the shape of the mat is substantially rectangular but in a great many instances it is necessary to have irregular contours on the mats, either for the design effect or because of the fact that it is necessary in order to fit the mat around pillars against curved or sloping walls and other irregular contours.

An object of this invention is to provide a link mat of irregular shape with a nosing and connecting means for connecting the nosing vto the rods of the mat proper, while at the vsame time maintaining an attractive appearance for the mat, for it is iny mats of this character that style and beauty rather than mere efficiency of operation are demanded.

Another object of this invention is to provide a link mat in which some-of the rods are shorter than others or extend in one direction less than others to provide a stepped construction at the edge of the mat when the usual links are applied thereto and filling in these stepped areas with a rubber block or the like which is pivoted to the longer rod and has the outer peripheral edge thereof shaped substantially to the desired contour for the mat. These blocks are recessed to receive the ends of other links pivoted to the rods and, as illustrated in one form of the invention, these recesses extend clear to the nosing to simulate links.

Another object of this invention is to provide a link mat with a main body of links and pivot rods and including irregular'border areas filled in with blocks or simulated links'to form the general contour for the .mat and bordering the mat with a nosing strip of substantially uniform width. Y

Another object of this invention resides in an improved means and method for applying a nosing strip to the edge of a link mat or the like in such a manner that the nosing is held more firmly against the assembled links to improve the appearance of the mat and to more effectively insure that the nosing will not be pulled away from the body of the mat in normal use.

Other objects of this invention Will appear hereinafter as the description thereof proceeds, the novel features, arrangements and combinations being clearly set forth in the specification and in the claims thereunto appended.

Fig. 1 of the drawings is a plan view with parts broken away showing a mat embodying myinvention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a similar cross-section to that shown in Fig. 2 but taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of a modied form of the construction shown in Fig. 1;

Fig, 5 is a cross-section taken substantially along the line 5 5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a plan View with parts broken away illustrating the manner in which the nosing is attached to the main body of the mat;

Fig. 7 is a cross-section taken substantially along the line 'l--l of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view similar to Fig. 7 showing a detail of my construction;

Fig. 9 is an isometric view showing one of the brackets used in connecting the nosing to the taken along line 2 2 g body of the mat;

Fig. 10 is a cross-section through a modied construction of my invention; and

Fig. 11 is a plan View of the modification shown in Fig. 9.

It sometimes becomes necessary in making `mats for hotel lobbies, theaters and the like to shape the mat so that it will t snugly around pillars which are curved or along moldings or other contours ofV other than rectangular form and, consequently, if the tailored appearance of the mat is to be maintained provision must be made for so shaping the'body of the mat as to permit the use of a uniform nosing around the edge of same. In the present instance I accomplish thisy by assembling a group of rods and links which will t substantially within the area calculated to beY the Vbody. of a mat minus the nosing and filling inthe Void spaces about the edge of the mat With links or blocks pivoted to the rods and withA an outer contour shaped to agree With the outer periphery of the area calculated to be the body of the mat, with the eX- ception that certain areas are made for overlapping portions of the nosing and the strip to which it is attached, as will appear in the detailed description of the invention.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the finished mat is shown in Fig. 1. This mat has a central body portion composed of links l0 pivoted to the rods Il in a manner which is customary in the art. The upper edge of this mat is shown as being at an angle to the horizontal or at an angle to a line perpendicular to the rods II. I therefore make the endmost links I2 with additional projected portions on the upper side thereof as viewed in Fig. 1 and these additional portions are cut at an angle corresponding to the slope for this side of the mat. The ends of the rods II pass through clips I 3 and these clips I3 are used to attach the nosing strip I I to the body of the mat in a manner which will be more clearly brought out later in the description of Figs. 6-9 inclusive.

The lower right-hand side of the mat as viewed in Fig. 1 has to be of substantially a given shape for some assigned Construction and in the embodiment shown is formed as a coinpound curve. The result is that the body of the mat formed by the links and rods cannot be so designed as to fit snugly within the nosing dening the border of the mat. However, the assembled links and rods are assembled to substantially ll the area within the nosing strip, leaving substantially void areas of a stepped appearance which I propose to i'lll in by blocks such as I5. These blocks have one straight edge on the inner side which is formed with an opening through which one of the pivot rods I I is passed and is notched sufciently to receive the ends of the links pivoted to the same rod in such a manner as to p-ermit free articulated movement of the links and blocks about the rods. These strips are extruded the same as are the links III and have substantially the same crosssection and are formed, preferably with raised ridges I6 (see particularly Figs. 2 and 3) to provide anti-skid and wiping surfaces on the upper surface of the mat.

The outer edges ofthe blocks I are beveled downwardly and outwardly to provide a wide surface I'I to which the nosing I4, which is correspondingly beveled on its underside, may be attached as by vulcanization, cementing or the like. The blocks I5 and the nosing III could be united along a vertical line but this does not give as much area and consequently not as much bond between these two elements. I therefore do not wish to limit myself in my invention to the particular method in which the nosing is attached to the blocks except as may hereinafter be set forth in the claims.

The nosing strip is extruded as a continuous straight strip and is then bent to the curvature desired for attachment to the mat. This bending is usually done during the attachment of the nosing to the blocks as the strip is readily flexible transversely and will accommodate itself to other than sharp breaks in the contour of the mat. Where such sharp breaks occur the nosing is generally severed and another strip placed in abutting relation therewith, as at IS in Fig. 1. These ends are vulcanized together preferably in a manner such as described in my Patent No. 2,077,901 granted April 20, 1937.

As will be seen from an inspection of Fig. l, some of the rods I I are formed with looped ends, such as I9, in order to prevent the links from being disengaged from the rods, and metal links 2Q embracing the rods I I are employed just under the head formed by the loop I9 to prevent the loop from being pulled through the opening in one of the rubber links. Any other form of heading can be used in place of the loop I9 but in general the head forms an obstruction to the proper placing of the blocks I5 and therefore I prefer to recess these blocks at ZI (see Figs. l

and 3) in order to accommodate the looped ends I9 beneath the upper surface of the blocks without impairing the general appearance of the mat.

The vertically extending straight edges of the mat nosing are attached to the rods II by links 22, such as described and claimed in myaforementioned patent.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have illustrated a modified form of my invention in which the block illustrated generally at 23 is formed similar to the block I5 and is attached to the nosing in a similar manner as at I'I. The block, however, instead of being recessed just sufficiently to receive the links on the ends of the rod to which the block is attached, is recessed graduated amounts, corresponding to the contour of the mat as at 2II, so that the notches extend substantially to the edge of the nosing strip. Thus the remaining portions 25 between the notches simulate the links of the mat and give a uniform appearance to the body of the mat inside of the mat nosing. Otherwise the construction is the same as that illustrated in Fig. l.

Instead of having one block notched to simulate links as in Fig. 4, individual links can be cut to varying lengths and attached to the nosing strip, but this of course would involve an increased amount of labor and would not change the appearance of the mat appreciably over that illustrated in Fig. 4.

I shall now describe more particularly the manner in which the upper and lower ends of the nosing are attached to the body of the mat and this is shown more particularly in Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive of the drawings in which similar reference characters refer to corresponding parts in the drawings. For the sake of simplicity, the attachment of the nosing at the bottom of the mat in Fig. i is illustrated rather than that at the top, but it is to be understood that the same method applies in both instances, the only difference being that the endmost links are shaped differently at the top and bottom. The brackets I3 have openings 26 to receive the ends of the rods I I and the ends are bent over and connected by a tubular device 21 which holds the rods against turning and irmly holds the intermediate portion of the bracket I3 against the adjacent link or links IIB.

The nosing is provided with an enlarged tubular opening 23, preferably running the full length thereof and a channel-shaped recess 29 on the inner marginal edge. The opening 28 and recess 2S communicate with each other at intervals by means of the openings 33 which are smaller in vertical dimension than the opening 28 and smaller in vertical height than the enlarged heads 3I formed on the ears 32 projecting outwardly from the intermediate portion of the bracket I3. The shank portions 33 of the ears are formed of a vertical thickness which is less than the vertical dimension of the openings 38 and recess 29, as is clearly illustrated in Fig. 8.

In assembling the nosing on the ends of the brackets secured to the rods, the nosing is forced over the ends of the 'ears 32 so that the enlarged heads are projected through the openings 30 into the opening 28. A cable or similar fastening element 313 is placed through the openings 35 in the ears and this holds the nosing in place on the brackets I3. However, due to the exibility of the cable and due to the fact that ordinarily some clearance must be permitted in order that the cable can 'be easily inserted through the openings, the nosing is not always firmly held against the base or intermediate portion of the bracket I3V and, therefore, the parts are so proportioned as previously described so that the enlarged head which entersthe opening 28 is not wholly received within the opening 28 but is substantially within the opening and compresses the rubber adjacent the junction of the opening 28 with the opening 30 so that the compressed rubber normally tends to force the heads 3l of the ears 32 to the left as illustrated in Fig. 8 to bring the base of the bracket I3'rmly against the inner end of the nosing. In this'rnanner normally the nosing is held firmly against the bases of the brackets and consequently will not materially separate itself from the body ofthe mat to detract from the general appearance thereof. f Y The shanks 32 are preferably narrower than the opening 30 or recess 29 in va vertical direction for a denite purpose. Mats of this character are generally adapted to be rolled up so that the floor beneath may be cleaned and if the shanks were equal to or greater than the vertical height of the opening 30 and recess 29 there would be a binding within these openings and recess and a consequent wearing away of the rubber, so say nothing of the fact that it would increase the dii'liculty of rolling the mat. During the rolling operation, openings 30 and recess 20 tend to contract in a vertical direction and there is sufficient clearance provided in my improved construction to permit this contraction without causing contact of the shanks 32 with the upper and lower walls of the openings and recess sufficiently to cause the nosing to bulge adjacent thereto. Furthermore, this arrangement has another distinct advantage in that when the mat is in use and is being walked upon the compression of the rubber above the ears 32 permits of a yielding action ofthe nosing and does not cause a wearing of the nosing just above the ears, as would ordinarily happen if the Shanks filled the openings 30 or the recess 29.

It willtherefore be apparent that vmy improved nosing attachment will hold the nosing firmly against the body of the mat `and yet will permit easy rolling of the mat and lend a better appearance to the nosing, due to the fact that itv does not wear away at spaced points just Aabove the ears 32. Any form of fastening means .can be used in place of the cable 34, but preferably this fastening means should be such as to permit the mat to be rolled up.

Due to the fact that the blocks l5 are not attached at their ends to the rods which have the enlarged heads i9 projecting therefrom, it is possible to roll the mats in a more effective manner as these blocks may lift up somewhat away from the enlarged ends i9 during the rolling operation.

If desired the rods l l can be extended through the rvblocks I5 into the nosing where the ends may be anchored by a screw 4i! extending upwardly from the underside ofthe nosing I4 through the loop i9 as in Figs. 10 and l1 which would in this case be preferably threaded to receive the screw. The rods can pass throughV the material of the blocks l5 or in a groove in the under side thereof.

Obviously, I do not intend to limit myself to the particular form of mat illustrated in the drawings or to theparticularr mode of connecting the parts thereof together, as it is obvious that other modiiications thereof will fall clearly withinV the scope of the invention. Therefore, I 75 do not wish to limit myself except as may hereinlafterrbel set' forth in the claims hereunto appended.

I claim:

f -1. A mat Vof the character described comprising substantially parallel pivot Wires, staggered links pivoted on said wires to connect the same, at least one of said wires extending a longitudinal distance toward the edge o-f the mat less than an adjacent Wire, a block adjacent the end of the wire extend-ing the shorter distance and pivoted to said adjacent wire and alsov notched to receive the ends of links pivoted on said adjacent wire, the outer margin of said block being continuous and formed in non-parallel relation to the axes of said wires.

2. A mat of the character described comprisingsubstantially parallel pivot Wires, staggered links'pivoted on said wires to connect the same, at least one of said wires Iextending a longitudinal distance toward the edge of the mat less than an adjacent wire, a'block adjacent the end of the Wire extending Athe shorter distance and pivoted to said adjacent wire and also notched to receive the ends of links pivoted on said adjacent wire. f

3. A mat of the character described comprising substantially parallel pivot wires, staggered links pivoted on saidvwires to connect the same, at least one of said wires extending a longitudinal distance toward the edge of the mat less than an adjacent Wire, a block adjacent the end of the wire extending the shorter distance and plvoted to said adjacent Wire and also notched to receive the ends of links pivoted on said adjacent wire, the outer margin of said block being continuous 'and formed in non-parallel relation to the axes of said wires, anda nosing strip of substantially uniform width secured to the outer margin of said block, and to the outermost adjacent links pivoted to the wire extending the shorter distance.

Ll. A link mat of other than rectangular contour Vcomprising lassembled rods and links p-ivoted Ato each other to form a mat of substantially the desired contour less the border strip to be applied thereto, the rods Vextending various distances longitudinally according to the desired contour of the mat, thus forming recesses at the ends of some of the rods of stepped formation, blocks in said recesses pivoted to an adjacent rod and notched to receive the ends of links pivoted thereon, the outer edge of the blocks being substantially shaped to the desired contour less the Width of a nosing strip to be applied thereto, and a nosing strip secured to said blocks and outermost adjacent links.

5. A link` mat of other than rectangularA contour comprising assembled,` rods and links pvotcd to each other to form a mat of substantially the desired contour less the border strip to be applied thereto, the rods extending various distances longitudinally according to the desired contour of the mat, thus forming recesses at the ends'of some 'of the rods of stepped formation,`blocks in said recesses pivoted to an adjacent rod and notched to receive the ends of links pivoted thereo-n,'the outer edge of the blocks being substantially shaped to the desired oo nltour less the width of a'nosing strip to be apeled lat'asubstantial'angle to the plane of the mat and to a plane normal theet and held in bonded relation with respect to each other.

6. A link mat comprising substantially parallel rods and links pivoted thereto, some of said rods extending longitudinally toward a side of said mat a substantial distance less than others of said rods, a block notched to form simulated links arranged adjacent the end of the rod which extends the lesser distance and pivoted to the adjacent rod which extends the greater distance, the outer edge of the block being in non-parallel relation to said pivot rods. Y

7. A mat of the character described comprising pivot rods, links connecting said rods, the ends of at least one of said rods extending longitudinally farther than an adjacent one of said rods toward the edge of the mat and having at least one additional link pivoted to that end thereof beyond the adjacent rod, and a block pivoted to said extended portion of said rod hav ing cut-away portions to receive the end of said additional link on said rod, the outer edge of said block being formed in non-parallel relationship to said pivot rods, and a nosing strip connected tothe ends of said rods and to the outer edge of said block.

8. The combination with a plurality `of lsubstantially parallel rods of links pivoted to said rods, some of said rods projecting longitudinally beyond the ends Yof others of said rods at the marginal edge thereof, thus forming a marginal edge for said mat with stepped recesses at its border, a nosing strip shaped to the desired contour of the mat and other than parallel to said rods and having a portion opposite the stepped recesses, and blocks arranged Within the recesses forming the stepped contour and secured to said nosing strip and to the pivot rods adjacent said recesses which extend the greater distances toward the yedge of the mat.

9. The combination with a plurality of substantially parallel rods or links pivoted to said rods, some of said rods projecting longitudinally beyond the ends of others of said rods at the marginal edge thereof, thus forming a marginal edge for said mat with stepped recesses at its border, a nosing strip shaped to the-desired contour of the mat and other than parallel to said rods and having a portion opposite the stepped recesses, and blocks arranged Within the recesses forming the stepped contour secured to said nosing strip and to the pivot rods adjacent said recesses which extend the greater distances toward the edge of the mat, said recesses being of greater dimension in the direction in which said rods extend than a single link and said b-locks being recessed to form simulated links of substantially the same Width as the links forming the body of the mat.

l0. In a link-mat construction the combination with a plurality of rods, links pivoted to said rods along their co-extensive lengths and said rods extending varying distances at at least one side of said mat, additional links pivoted to said rods which extend beyond adjacent rods, the endmost links having their outer vertical faces inclined at an acute angle to a plane perpendicular to said rods, metal strips perforated to receiveA the ends of at least two adjacent rods and lying against the inclined faces of the endmost links, means for holding the rods against turning movement and from separation from said metal link, and a continuous nosing strip connected to said rods.

1l. A mat of the character described comprising a plurality of rods and links connecting said rods to formthe body of said mat, a nosing substantially uniform extending along one edge of said mat at an angle to a plane perpendicular to said rods, said rods being of varying lengths to extend to substantially within the same distance of said nosing, means for connecting said rods to said nosing, the endmost links adjacent said nosing having their vertical faces contoured to the inclination of the nosing.

12. In a link mat thecombination With a plurality of pivot rods, and links connecting said rods of a metal strip connected to at least one of said rods and having a projection extending outwardly generally parallel to said rod, a nosing strip having a longitudinal opening therein to receive a fastening element, and a groove in the edge of said nosing adjacent the ends of said rods and running substantially parallel to said opening, spaced communicating passages between said opening and groove to receive said projections, said projections having openings therein for the reception of a fastening element extending through said first opening, an enlarged head on said projection of greater dimension in one direction than said passage so as to require forcing of said head through said passage, the head being located on said projecting portion a distance such that when the head is received Within said opening the side of said head adjacent the body of said mat will compress the rubber adjacent the edge of said passage whereby to hold said metal link firmly against the side of said nosing.

i3. A metal link for connecting the body of a mat to a nosing provided with a longitudinal opening extending through said nosing and communicating passages extending laterally from said nosing'in communication with said edge, comprising a metal member having an enlarged head greater in transverse dimension than the corresponding dimension of said passage, Whereby said passage is distorted by the insertion of said head into said opening through said passage, the said head being of a length as to only partially enter said opening when said metal strip is against the side of the nosing and remain partially within said passage whereby to at least partially distort the material adjacent said passage to urge the head into said opening.

14. In a mat of the character described the combination with a nosing strip of a mat body to be attached to said nosing strip, a metal link connected to said body and having a projecting portion extending into a recess in said nosing, said recess having a restricted portion and said projecting portion having an enlarged head greater in one dimension than the corresponding part of said restricted portion whereby movement of said head into said recess substantially past said restricted portion results in the material of the restricted portion urging said head inwardly into said recess to resist withdrawal' thereof.

l5. in a rnat of the character described the combination with a nosing strip of a mat body to be attached to said nosing strip, a metal link connected to said body and having a projecting portion extending into a recess in said nosing, said recess having a restricted portion and said projecting portion having an enlarged head vgreater in one dimension than the corresponding part of said restricted portion, whereby movement of said head into said recess substantially past said' restricted portion results in the material of the restricted portion urging said head inwardly into said recess to resist Withdrawal thereof, and a fastening element extending through said head transversely thereof and arranged within said nosing.

16. A device oi the class described comprising links pivoted to parallel rods, a block having a substantially straight side and an opposite side non-parallel thereto, at least throughout a portion of its length, said block having a rod-receiving opening extending therethrough parallel to and adjacent said straight side to receive a pivot rod, and having notches in the straight side extending substantially perpendicular to the axis of said opening toward the opposite side of said block, said notches extending, at least on the upper surface, a distance such as to leave a substantially uninterrupted portion at the opposite edge of said block of substantially uniform width.

17. A device of the class described comprising links pivoted to parallel rods, a block having a substantially straight side and an opposite side non-parallel thereto, at least throughout a portion of its length, said block having a rod-receiving opening extending therethrough parallel to and adjacent said straight side to receive a pivot rod, and having notches in the straight side eX- tending substantially perpendicular to the axis of said opening toward the opposite side of said block, said notches extending, at least on the upper surface, a distance such as to leave a substantially uninterrupted portion at the opposite edge of said block of substantially uniform width, the upper side of said latter edge being beveled at a substantial angle to the vertical to engage a similarly beveled under surface on a nosing strip to be applied thereto.

HARRY R. RUSSON. 

